Who doesn’t love a cold coke in the summer? Coca-Cola and its other beverages are popular around the world. But have you ever stopped to question — is coke vegan? Here’s the answer.
Coca cola is one of the world’s most globally recognized brands. With annual revenue of over $38 million, it’s unsurprising that Coke is estimated to be the most valuable soft drink brand in the world.
As planet’s most ubiquitous drink, it’s easy to stop asking questions about what goes into every can, bottle or cup. Aside from inquiring into the health detriments of coke, is coke vegan?
Here we look into the key ingredients of coke and other Coca-Cola Products so you know what you’re getting next time you crave a soda.
Original Coke Ingredients
(Foto: CC0 / Pixabay / DWilliam)
So, is coke vegan? If we’re talking your standard original coke, the answer is a little murky. Let’s look at the ingredients to explain why.
Ingredients in the US Recipe:
- Carbonated water
- High fructose corn syrup
- Caramel E150d
- Phosphoric Acid
- Caffeine (citrate)
Non listed:
- Natural flavorings – orange, lime, lemon, and lavender
- Spices – vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg
As you can see, there are no meat-derived products used in coke. However, if our question is whether animals were harmed creating this drink, the answer is less simple.
The Problem with High Fructose Corn Syrup
(Foto: CC0 / Pixabay / stevepb)
To begin with, high fructose corn (HFC) syrup is the main contestable ingredient in Coca-Cola products. It’s made by breaking starch into glucose using enzymes. In order to test the safety of HFC syrup consumption, it has and continues to be tested on animals.
You can find a number of studies dated 2022 documenting this practice:
- Effects of high fructose corn syrup on intestinal microbiota structure and obesity in mice.
- Adolescent high-fructose corn syrup consumption leads to dysfunction in adult affective behaviors and mesolimbic proteins in male Sprague-Dawley rats.
- High fructose corn syrup alters behavioral and neurobiological responses to oxycodone in rats.
While the primary purpose of such studies aims to demonstrate the adverse effects of HFC syrup on humans, this fact has been well established for many years. In 2004, scientists were already pointing to the link between HFC syrup and obesity. In fact, by law, the FDA has placed a ban on HFC products that contain more than 55% fructose. Yet research in 2011 found Coke, Sprite, and Pepsi served from soda fountains deviated from this limit by as much as 28%.
As brands continue to use this ingredient despite the health warnings, scientists are urged to carry out testing on animals. In other words, if we ask — is coke vegan in terms of actual content, the answer is yes. But, if we look at the practices surrounding HFC, the waters become muddy. Ultimately the decision is up to the individual.
Non-Vegan Coke Products
(Foto: CC0 / Pixabay / AlexAntropov86)
The vast majority of Coca-Cola products share the ambiguous status of original coke. This includes flavored coke varieties such as coke vanilla and cherry, alongside other sweetened Coca-Cola products such as Fanta, Powerade, and Sprite. The exception is coke zero and diet soda products.
Coke Products Without High Fructose Corn Syrup
With coke’s zero sugar and diet varieties, they substitute aspartame and phenylalanine in their recipes. These sweeteners contain no animal-derived products. However, like HFC, aspartame is regularly tested on lab rats. Obviously, this practice contributes significantly to animal suffering.
Non-vegan Coca-Cola Products
Some Coca-Cola products clearly have meat derivatives. Coca-Cola states this on their website. Non-vegan products include:
- Lilt and Lilt zero — contains fish gelatine (found in carotenes)
- Glaceau vitamin water (zero sunshine and multi V) — contains vitamin D derived from sheep’s wool (lanolin)
- Kia — contains fish gelatine
- Schweppes (Indian tonic and orange) — contains honey and fish gelatine, respectively
- Honest (lemon and honey) – contains honey
- Costa coffee ready to drink (Caramel latte, latte, Americano) — contains milk
It’s worth noting not all varieties may contain these substances as recipes vary depending on the country of origin. Our reference is from the UK site, as they were one of the only respondents to our information request.
The US Coca-Cola site currently doesn’t list which drinks are vegan or not. However, after a glance at the ingredients list for each product in the States, we found that the vast majority did contain the animal products listed above. For this reason, it is advisable to stay away from these drinks if you’re vegan.
Read on:
- 10 Healthy and Tasty Alternatives to Soda
- Is Alcohol Vegan? A Guide to Vegan Booze
- Why Wine Isn’t Always Vegan
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